A message of hope from the Chaplain

Published on 18, December, 2024

University of Sunderland Chaplain Reverend Chris Howson delivers his annual Christmas message to staff and students.

At the University of Sunderland Carol service, there was a moment when I presented the Vice-Chancellor with a broom – which at first did not seem like a very Christmassy thing to do. I explained however that a broom symbolised much about the previous year.

The year has seen continued wars in Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan, Myanmar (to name but a few) and it has seen a newly elected ‘leader of the free world’ who is a climate change denier.

Nationally, in August, we also saw a wave of violence swept the country in which I even found myself chasing balaclavered thugs out of the Minster churchyard who had been trying to smash head stones to make missiles to throw at police. A tough year indeed. It has also been a challenging time for the University due to a number of reasons, such as the cost-of-living crisis, though staff have always worked hard to maintain the excellent standards we insist upon in our place of learning.

It’s hard to talk of hope in times like these. But the broom seems to me to be how you react to times of hardship. When the chips are down, you get out the broom and get on with what needs to be done.

I believe that when we sweep, we are doing something profound, I believe that we are acting out the theology of hope.  For me, hope is a doing word, an action that believes that things can improve, things can be made better. We look at the mess we are in, we roll up our sleeves and get on with it.

The day after those violent mobs wreaked havoc on the streets of many of our cities and towns, the brooms came out.

Hundreds turned up with brushes, dustpans and shovels. Local people, determined to show that the far-right did not represent them, came out on the streets and started sweeping up the mess.

This happened up and down the country. Muslims, Christians, people of no faith and some faith got together and began to clean up the mess. Hope became a ‘doing word’. Hope was found in the sweeping.

As so often comes after the riots, after the flooding, after the house fire, people come together after unimaginable tragedy and muck in as a sign of solidarity.

At the nativity scene, I always imagine Joseph sweeping up the stable and trying of make the best of the situation before Mary gives birth. For Christians, hope comes in the form of a child, a child who will spend a lifetime rolling up his sleeves and defending the widow, healing the sick, sharing the wealth. Jesus will continue to work for the most vulnerable right to the cross and beyond.

Hope is resurrection after the destruction. Hope believes that that change is coming, and we can be part of the solution. Hope starts with the sweeping up.

Let's get to it.

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